Architectural dynamic control: intelligent environmental control and feedback system for architectural settings including offices

• US 20060184325A1
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orfield Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Orfield Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Orfield, Steven J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/38 Personalised air distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls

Abstract

A smart, adaptive control system that monitors and influences physical conditions of an architectural setting. The architectural setting in which the system is deployed typically includes a plurality of private spaces and at least one community space. The individual private spaces, and the community spaces, may include an environmental control device that affects one or more physical conditions of the individual private space. Each private space may also include an environmental sensor that measures a particular physical condition of the private space. The private spaces may also include one or more occupant sensors, which measure either behavioral or physiological parameters of an occupant. The environmental control devices, environmental sensors, and occupant sensors are in communication with a computer. The computer is also in communication with a database, which houses a data set that describes how to best modify the physical conditions of the architectural setting.

Claims

1-7. -7. (canceled)

8. A method for encouraging desired behavior within an architectural setting, the method comprising:

controlling environmental variables within the architectural setting to change throughout a period of time in accordance with a selected theme.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of controlling environmental variables comprises:

controlling light sources in the office setting to be brighter on a first side of the office, and over a period of time, to become progressively brighter on a second side of the office setting.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of controlling environmental variables comprises:

controlling thermal values of the office setting to alternately change throughout over at least 2 times per day.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the temperature is controlled to alternately change at least 4 times per day.

12. A method for encouraging desired behavior within an office setting, the method comprising:

initially controlling a plurality of physical conditions within the office setting, so as to hold the physical conditions substantially constant;

altering one of the physical conditions;

observing a change in behavior of an occupant of the office setting;

determining a relationship between the change of behavior and the altered physical condition; and

storing the relationship in a database.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of determining the relationship between the change of behavior and the altered physical condition comprises calculating a correlation between a variable representing the behavior and a variable representing the altered physical condition.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

sensing a behavior of an occupant of the office setting;

comparing the behavior with a desired behavior;

if the sensed behavior differs from the desired behavior by more than a predetermined tolerance, searching the database for the physical condition with the strongest relationship to the behavior; and

altering the physical condition with the strongest relationship to the behavior, so as to bring the sensed behavior closer to the desired behavior.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

sensing a behavior of an occupant of the office setting;

comparing the behavior with a desired behavior;

if the sensed behavior differs from the desired behavior by more than a predetermined tolerance, searching the database for the physical condition with the greatest correlation to the behavior; and

altering the physical condition with the greatest correlation to the behavior, so as to bring the sensed behavior closer to the desired behavior.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

observing preferences of an occupant of the office setting with respect to how that occupant controls the plurality of physical conditions over time; and

automatically controlling the physical conditions of the office setting to in accord with the observed preferences of the occupant.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

observing one or more physical conditions outside the office setting; and

automatically controlling one or more physical conditions to mimic the observed conditions outside the office setting.

18. A method for encouraging desired behavior within an office setting, the method comprising:

initially controlling a plurality of physical conditions within the office setting, so as to cause the physical conditions to vary in accordance with a theme;

altering one of the physical conditions, so as to cause the altered physical condition to deviate from the theme;

observing a change in behavior of an occupant of the office setting;

determining a relationship between the change of behavior and the altered physical condition; and

storing the relationship in a database.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of determining the relationship between the change of behavior and the altered physical condition comprises calculating a correlation between a variable representing the behavior and a variable representing the altered physical condition.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

sensing a behavior of an occupant of the office setting;

comparing the behavior with a desired behavior;

if the sensed behavior differs from the desired behavior by more than a predetermined tolerance, searching the database for the physical condition with the strongest relationship to the behavior; and

altering the physical condition with the strongest relationship to the behavior, so as to bring the sensed behavior closer to the desired behavior.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

sensing a behavior of an occupant of the office setting;

comparing the behavior with a desired behavior;

if the sensed behavior differs from the desired behavior by more than a predetermined tolerance, searching the database for the physical condition with the greatest correlation to the behavior; and

altering the physical condition with the greatest correlation to the behavior, so as to bring the sensed behavior closer to the desired behavior.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

observing preferences of an occupant of the office setting with respect to how that occupant controls the plurality of physical conditions over time; and

automatically controlling the physical conditions of the office setting to in accord with the observed preferences of the occupant.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

observing one or more physical conditions outside the office setting; and

automatically controlling one or more physical conditions to mimic the pattern of observed conditions outside the office setting.

24-35. -35. (canceled)

36. A system for encouraging desired behavior within an architectural setting, the system comprising:

at least one environmental control device in the architectural setting, the environmental control device affecting at least one physical condition of the architectural setting in which it resides;

wherein, the environmental control device is in communication with a computer; and

wherein the computer is programmed to carry out the following steps

access a memory device that stores survey data; and

control the environmental control device, based upon the survey data.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

a web server that is programmed to conduct an occupant survey.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the architectural setting contains at least one occupant, and wherein the system further comprises:

an occupant-accessible computer running a web browser, permitting the occupant to complete the occupant survey hosted by the web server.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the occupant-accessible computer is within the architectural setting.

40. A method of controlling physical conditions of an architectural setting, the method comprising:

conducting an occupant survey, thereby generating data regarding subjective occupant reaction to a physical condition of the architectural setting;

storing the survey data in a memory device in communication with a computer;

using the computer to control physical conditions of the architectural setting, based upon the survey data stored in the memory device.

41. A method of measuring physical conditions throughout an architectural setting, the method comprising:

providing an environmental measuring device to an organization;

instructing the organization to locate the environmental measuring device at a plurality of locations within the architectural setting;

instructing the organization to use the environmental measuring device to take at least one measurement for each of the plurality of locations within the architectural setting; and

receiving measurements from the environmental measuring device.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the measurements are associated with data describing the location within the architectural setting at which the measurement was taken.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the environmental measuring device comprises a multidisciplinary analyzer.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising comparing the measurements with survey data generated by occupants of the architectural setting